What is Employee experience?
Time moves quickly. Before we know it, days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and suddenly, another year has passed. In the corporate world, where the year is broken into quarters, we shift seamlessly from setting Q1 goals to discussing mid-year performance, only to find ourselves wrapping up the year in what feels like an instant. In this relentless flow of time, employee experience serves as a crucial guide, ensuring a meaningful and engaging work journey.
The Impact of Time on Decision-Making
As time rushes by, we make countless decisions—big and small—without fully acknowledging the rapid pace of life. Often, we operate on autopilot, reacting to situations rather than intentionally steering our course. Are we truly in control, or are we merely passengers, watching life unfold from the backseat?
Dr. Thomas Gilovich’s Research
A professor of psychology at Cornell University, Dr. Thomas Gilovich states that positive/negative experiences in previous choices have an undeniable effect on the decision-making process. Past experiences have such a huge impact on our lives that we all look at life through a filter made up of our experiences. Dr. Gilovich puts it briefly, “We are the sum of our experiences.” he sums up. But how do experiences that have such great importance on our lives come about? The events we experience bring with them emotions. Emotions trigger experiences. Experiences form memories. So in order to know what is employee experience, we need to know how to define experience?
Experience is the transformation of the emotions we feel during an event into a memory, leaving an impact in a way that shapes our thoughts after the event. However, when we look closely at the biggest slice of this great cake of experience we have accumulated throughout our lives, you notice something interesting. Considering that an adult works an average of 90,000 hours in their lifetime and that the only major activity we spend more time on in our lives is sleeping, the vast majority of these experiences are related to work.
Employee Experience: A Piggy Bank of Memories
Each of us carries a walking memory bank, storing every positive and negative experience with our employer. With each interaction, this invisible piggy bank fills up, shaping our perception of the workplace over time.
When making career decisions, we unconsciously turn to this memory bank for guidance:
“Should I accept this job offer?”
“Is it time to resign and move on?”
“Should I ask for a salary increase?”
“Is my new manager truly qualified, or should I speak to HR?”
Every time we reflect on these choices, we check our piggy bank of experiences. If it’s filled with meaningful, positive moments, our loyalty to the employer strengthens. But if we tip it over and find nothing but frustration or indifference, we realize—it’s time to leave.
Why Has Employee Experience Become a Key Discussion Point?
In recent years, employee experience has gained more attention than ever. But why now? What has changed that we are only just recognizing its critical impact? Several key factors have brought this issue to the forefront.
Generational Change in the Workforce
One of the key factors behind the rising focus on employee experience is the changing expectations of younger generations in the workforce. Unlike their predecessors, Millennials (Generation Y) and Gen Z employees value transparency, personalization, and meaningful experiences over traditional priorities like job security, salary, and job titles.
A Shift from Privacy to Transparency
Baby Boomers (born before 1970) and Generation X (born before 1980) largely kept their workplace experiences—both positive and negative—to themselves. Their reluctance to share may have stemmed from two key reasons:
A strong emphasis on job security, shaped by the socio-cultural landscape of their time.
The lack of platforms to easily share work-related experiences.
However, with Millennials (born after 1980) and Gen Z (born after 1997)—often referred to as digital natives—the landscape has dramatically changed. These younger generations, raised in an era of instant connectivity and social sharing, have redefined workplace expectations.
From Job Security to Experience-Driven Careers
For Millennials and Gen Z, the focus has shifted from merely having a job to having an enriching, personalized work experience. The candidate experience, starting from the recruitment process, and the employee experience, spanning onboarding to exit, were traditionally kept behind closed doors. But today, younger employees openly share their experiences on social platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed, exposing workplace realities to a global audience.
This newfound transparency has shifted the power dynamic—employers are no longer the sole decision-makers in the hiring process. Instead, job seekers now have access to real insights into company culture, influencing where they choose to work.
Digital Transformation and Revolution
The second major factor driving change in employee experience is technology. The rise of mobile technology—especially smartphones—has redefined work, shifting it from a physical location to a flexible, digital experience. Employees are no longer tied to office spaces; instead, they can attend meetings, give presentations, and conduct interviews remotely. Collaboration has become seamless, allowing teams to work together from anywhere in the world.
The Power of Social Media & Digital Connectivity
Technology didn’t just change how we work—it also revolutionized how we share experiences. Social media platforms have made it easier than ever to express thoughts and feelings to a global audience in real time. Over time, professional relationships evolved into digital networks of followers, extending our reach beyond our immediate circles.
When the tech-savvy, transparency-driven approach of Millennials and Gen Z merged with the ease of digital sharing, the impact was profound. Employees not only began sharing their work experiences but also their personal values, preferences, and expectations, influencing how organizations approach recruitment, company culture, and workplace transparency.
Pandemic and Embracing the New Normal
The COVID-19 pandemic became the third and final catalyst for change. Over two years of isolation forced people of all ages—children, young adults, professionals, and the elderly—to rely on smartphones and laptops for communication, work, and daily interactions.
As the world adapted to remote work and digital connections, many began to deeply reflect on the role of work in their lives. The pandemic triggered a fundamental shift in priorities, pushing employees to reconsider what truly mattered—job satisfaction, work-life balance, and overall well-being.
Findings of the State of the Global Workplace Report
According to the State of the Global Workplace Report published by Gallup, the pandemic has turned the lives of 54% of workers upside down. Findings of the same report pointed that the most dominant emotions felt by employees in an average day during the pandemic were 40% anxiety, 45% stress, 32% anger, and 30% grief.
The Shift in Leadership and the Struggle for Employee Connection
Traditional hierarchical leadership styles, built on command-and-control structures, struggled to adapt to the remote work era. Many managers, accustomed to overseeing teams in physical office spaces, found themselves at a loss when employees were scattered across different cities and no longer visible at their desks.
In response, some companies turned to employee monitoring software, tracking screen activity, keyboard clicks, and mouse movements to measure productivity. However, this approach only deepened the challenges.
With the boundaries between work and personal life fading—since employees spent their entire day at home—work hours became increasingly blurred. The pressure to always be available disrupted work-life balance, making it harder for employees to disconnect.
As a result, the connection between employees, managers, and teams weakened. Without meaningful engagement, the emotional bond between workers and their organizations began to erode, leading to decreased motivation and job dissatisfaction.
Great Resignation and Work Dynamics After the Pandemic
According to the results of Gartner’s research to understand the impact of the pandemic on employees with 20,000 employees worldwide between January 2020 and March 2021:
- The pandemic has negatively affected 55% of the global workforce.
- Due to the pandemic, 85% of employees felt severe burnout.
- 40% of the employees said that their work / private life balance was disrupted.
- 41% of the employees stated that their trust in their team and 37% in the management of the organization was shaken.
- 65% of employees stated that they questioned the place of work in their lives.
This emotional entrapment triggered unprecedented mass movements on the employee front. For example, with the Great Resignation wave, 57 million employees resigned in the United States alone between January 2021 and February 2022.
This meant roughly 4.4 million resignations per month.
The Impact of Remote Work on Employee Connection and Purpose
Before the pandemic, employees thrived in physical work environments, surrounded by colleagues, immersed in group dynamics, and focused on daily tasks. The in-person interactions fostered a sense of belonging, reinforcing their connection to the organization.
However, when remote work became the norm, this socio-psychological routine was shattered. Employees, now working in isolation, found themselves in cluttered work schedules, interacting with virtual teams and managers they struggled to connect with. The absence of face-to-face engagement led to detachment from the organization and, ultimately, a sense of loneliness.
This shift sparked a deeper reflection—employees began to question the meaning and purpose of their work. Stripped of the daily rush, they realized that corporate goals like profit, sales, and revenue no longer inspired them. The pandemic, which underscored the fragility of life, further intensified these doubts, making traditional work commitments feel less significant.
As social beings, employees who once thrived on interpersonal connections were left grappling with pessimism, loneliness, and hopelessness. This emotional shift contributed to new psychological challenges, leading to the emergence of terms like:
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
FONO (Fear of Normal)
PPSD (Post-Pandemic Stress Disorder)
The pandemic fundamentally redefined work, purpose, and connection, making it clear that employee experience goes beyond job tasks—it’s about meaningful engagement and human connection.
Quiet Quitting: A New Paradigm in Business
According to Gallup, 21% (Turkey: 15%) of employees in the pandemic were reporting that they were happy with their present lives and only 33% (Turkey: 23%) were hopeful that life will get better in the next two years. This pessimism surrounding all workers in the world was so deep that the World Health Organization reported that depression increased by 15% worldwide due to stress and anxiety due to the pandemic.
The pandemic did not let us use the physical office space. But the absence of the physical working space eliminated the possibility of physical spaces for socialization, rest and development too. With all these physical spaces that had an important place in the work experience casted away employees could not have accessed many social and corporate benefits normally available in the work / social environment and that made life easier and enjoyable.
When the lid of the pressure cooker in which all these dynamics slowly boiled suddenly opened due to the increasing heat, the concept of quiet quitting, which was gained traction since the second half of 2021, would come out of the pot. This is how the business world would realize the gravity of what was really going on in the scenery. The business world was backed into a corner and had no choice but to finally start talking about the what is employee experience? However, the work needed to be done by the employee experience was way more than the expectations and needs of the younger generations, the technological developments and the pandemic factors bore. Because the global talent shortage had reached the peak of the last two decades, hitting and all high of 69% in the world and 83% in Turkey.
The Decline of Traditional Full-Time Jobs and Changing Employee Expectations
A staggering 8 out of 10 employees approached by recruiters expressed no interest in career opportunities or the traditional work model as we know it. This signaled a clear shift—the conventional full-time job structure, built on hierarchical relationships, fixed job descriptions, and set working hours, was approaching its expiration date.
With the pandemic reshaping employee expectations, it became evident that attracting talent required more than just the usual salary, bonuses, meal vouchers, and health insurance. To engage top talent, companies needed to redefine work, offering flexibility, autonomy, purpose, and personalized benefits that aligned with the evolving workforce mindset.
Chain of Devastating Events Affecting Daily Lives
On the other hand, the chain of events that started with March 2020 continued to develop like a chemical reaction. In this chemical reaction, the pandemic was followed by wars, wars by crises, and crises by hyperinflation. Employees struggling with the cost of living had their backs bent.
The leaders and human resources teams, who have been trying to make life easier by encouraging their stakeholders on many different battlefronts for almost 3 years, were on the verge of suffocating. However, the troubles of the workforce which moved the wheels of the business world were still not over yet. The earthquake disaster that would hit Turkey and Syria in February 2023 would test all organizations in the most bitter way to stand by the people of the country, not just the employees.
The Shift Toward Employee Experience: A Workforce Revolution
We found ourselves in a strange tunnel of fear, where both employees and leaders were forced back to the first level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—basic survival. Productivity and efficiency plummeted, while commitment, happiness, and even the simple joy of life evaporated.
It became clear: the workforce—the driving force of the business world—needed a transformation. But could we truly bring together all the elements that shape the work experience under a single concept?
The answer is yes.
In light of these changes, a new focus emerged: Employee Experience (EX). Now a top priority for organizations worldwide, EX has remained a central conversation, shaping the future of work for years to come.
What is Employee Experience Then?
Employee Experience (EX) is the holistic perception employees develop based on their interactions with their organization. Just like a customer forms an opinion about a brand through every touchpoint, an employee experiences their workplace through various interactions—from IT requests and cafeteria services to performance reviews and payroll processes. Each of these moments contributes to an overall impression, shaping the employee’s journey within the company.
However, defining EX is just the beginning. Creating a truly positive, end-to-end employee experience requires more than just a definition—it demands an employee-centric culture and leadership approach.
At its core, EX is a promise—one that must be deeply embedded in an organization’s values, principles, and daily behaviors. Without this alignment, the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and employer brand remain empty words.
So, if EX is the sum of all employee interactions, the real question is: How can organizations ensure these interactions create a meaningful, engaging, and fulfilling experience? Let’s dive deeper.
Where and How does an Employee Interact with the Organization?
In experience terminology, each point where an organization interacts with its employees is called a touchpoint. These touchpoints serve as key control and intervention points in the overall experience design, enabling organizations to monitor and manage whether the employee experience aligns with the intended design. Depending on the quality of the interaction, touchpoints can become either gain points—positive moments that enhance the experience—or pain points—negative moments that detract from it.
Does this sound familiar?
If you’re already familiar with customer experience (CX), you’ve likely recognized the parallels. Customer experience and employee experience (EX) are two sides of the same coin. When these two interconnected domains work in harmony, they create a powerful synergy. That’s why organizations aiming to provide an exceptional customer experience must first invest in creating a remarkable employee experience.
Think about it: if employees don’t personally experience a great workplace culture, how can they understand what the extraordinary customer experience should feel like?
In today’s competitive job market, where product innovations and developments are quickly copied, organizations are constantly searching for unique differentiators. Customer experience has become that differentiator, fundamentally transforming how organizations approach customer relationships. By adopting a customer experience mindset, companies have redefined CRM activities—such as customer service and relationships—from an outside-in perspective, centering them around the customer’s needs.
As a result of all the factors that create the employee experience, which we mentioned a lot in the previous parts of the article, 41% of business executives globally think that the job, job description and workforce should be redefined from the very beginning.
The expectation itself highlights that Human Resources, as the most crucial stakeholder responsible for defining and shaping jobs, job descriptions, and the workforce, must also undergo transformation in response to this wave of change. However, it’s not just employees who hold various roles in today’s business world who are excited about the evolving work models of the new era.
Employees’ Habits, Preferences and Opinions have Shifted
According to the research conducted by Universum with 63,747 students from 59 universities and 27,363 graduates from 59 universities between November 2021 and May 2022, 71% of students, 79% of young professionals and 77% of experienced professionals have a solid expectation of flexible working models.
Adapting to Agile Work Models: Overcoming Challenges in Human Resources Flexibility
Many hesitant about flexible working models fear isolation and losing connection with their team. If addressed, these concerns could ease the transition. In today’s fast-paced world, agile work models—dividing work into 2-week sprints—are becoming more common. However, traditional HR processes like planning, performance reviews, and salary management are still based on annual cycles, making it hard for HR to keep up with agile demands.
The role of HR as the rule-maker and gatekeeper needs to evolve to meet modern expectations, as employees—HR’s primary customers—become more disengaged.
In a world where 70% of employees do not trust human resources and 59% of managers think that human resources do not have a leading role in the organization, 86% of employees report that they will not share their feelings due to the death of a loved one, and 92% report that they will not share that they are going through a difficult divorce process with human resources.
The same research shows the reason for all this secretiveness is that 69% of employees believe that human resources are the “man of the management” The chance that these signs are indeed correct means that we are watching the feedback bridge between human resources and employees collapse before our eyes.
The Transformation of Employee Experience: A New Era for Human Resources
Just as customer experience revolutionized how companies engage with customers, employee experience will transform human resources. HR must reflect on its evolution. Once called personnel management, HR now seeks its updated role and job description. The shift to titles like “People and Culture” shows HR is answering the call. HR teams as experience centers and HR professionals as experience experts must challenge outdated beliefs and embrace new ways of thinking.
What is the Next Step After Investing in Employee Experience?
Can dry vision and mission statements, written solely from the organization’s perspective, motivate employees? Can annual engagement surveys capture employees’ feelings throughout the year? With the age of experience, we will and must approach these half-century-old beliefs such as such as these from a completely different lens. 1 billion dollars are invested annually in engagement efforts in the United States.
Despite this, the employee engagement rate is 21% worldwide and 15% in Turkey. From an experience-focused perspective, engagement is an effect, not a cause. A healthy employee experience drives high engagement.
According to the results of Jacob Morgan’s research with 252 companies, organizations that invest in employee experience achieve a 40% decrease in turnover, x2 revenue and x4 profitability with 25% fewer employees. Employee experience is here to stay. It has made a powerful entry, changing business life forever.
In this article, we answered a simple but crucial question: What is Employee Experience? We also went beyond defining it and explored the importance of this holistic perception. Follow our article series to learn more about this powerful discipline, its data-driven potential, methods, approaches, and tools.